Uruguayan Cunha to referee France v Belgium semifinal

Goal-shy France will be looking to silence the critics when they take on Spain in their Euro 2024 semifinal clash on Tuesday in Munich, while their opponents hope to keep their impressive campaign going even without key players.

With Kylian Mbappe leading their talented squad, France were well among the favourites when they arrived in Germany.

But they have come under fire from fans and pundits alike for a string of unimpressive performances and have reached the last four without scoring a single goal in open play.

Despite reaching the final of the last two World Cups, winning in Russia in 2018 and losing only on penalties to Argentina in Qatar four years later, their Euros record under coach Didier Deschamps is less impressive. In his 12 years, their best result was a runner-up spot in 2016 on home soil.

On Friday they only edged past Portugal on penalties, with Mbappe substituted after another match where he spent more time fiddling with his mask than setting up his teammates.

Deschamps' France often manage to be dour and dramatic at the same time -- defensively solid, they tend to waste chances up front, and they survived against Portugal partly thanks to similarly wasteful Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe's form after sustaining a broken nose in France's opener and that of Antoine Griezmann remain big question marks ahead of the clash with Spain, who overcame a raucous Stuttgart Arena crowd to beat the hosts with a goal in the final minutes of extra time.

"Personally I don't give a damn" about the critics, midfielder Youssouf Fofana told a press conference on Sunday.

"We are semifinalists. Questions about the level of Antoine and Kylian? We have to realise that that's enough to be in the semifinals. So I don't see why we would nitpick."

However, it remains to be seen if it is enough to get past a highly aggressive Spain, who are in imperious form with five straight wins so far at Euro 2024 but who will be missing several key players in Munich.

Midfielder Pedri is out of the tournament after sustaining a knee injury in a nasty clash with Germany midfielder Toni Kroos in their dramatic win on Saturday.

Substitute Mikel Merino's header in the 119th minute gave Spain a 2-1 win in a nerve-racking encounter that ended with 16 bookings including a yellow card for centre back Robin Le Normand and a red for fullback Dani Carvajal, meaning both are suspended for Tuesday's game.

Real Madrid defender Nacho will play centre back alongside Aymeric Laporte and 38 year-old full back Jesus Navas, the last player of Spain's golden generation who won the 2010 World Cup and back to back Euro titles in 2008 and 2012.

Navas will share the right-hand channel with 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, one of the players of the Euros so far harassing opponents' defences together with Nico Williams, 21.

All in all the team is a blend of deep experience and raw talent that has been thriving under the calm guidance of coach Luis de la Fuente.

"This is everyone's national team. Unity is strength and if we all keep pushing in the same direction, we can achieve our goals. If we are connecting with our fans then I am more than happy to play a part in generating enthusiasm," de la Fuente told reporters.

Croatia reached the last 16 of the World Cup after a tension-filled 0-0 draw with Belgium on Thursday that ensured the last hurrah of the Belgian 'golden generation' ended in a dismal group-stage exit.

Roberto Martinez's side, ranked second in the world and semi-finalists four years ago, needed a win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium to keep their hopes alive but could not break down the Croats who finished as Group F runners up behind Morocco.

Substitute Romelu Lukaku fluffed four golden chances to break the deadlock as Belgium cast off the shackles in the second half, although Croatia had their own opportunities to find a winner.

Croatia, who next play the winners of Group E, finished with five points, two behind Morocco who beat already-eliminated Canada 2-1 to top the table. Belgium were third with four points after winning just one of their three games.

With so much riding on the outcome, the tension was evident from the early stages and the encounter became something of a tactical chess match, with both sides careful not to take any unnecessary risks.

There was however still some drama. Croatia were awarded a penalty in the 16th minute when Andrej Kramaric's toe was clipped by Yannick Carrasco and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.

Just as Luka Modric was preparing to take the kick, however, Taylor was instructed to view the VAR monitor, and swiftly reversed his decision after checking for an earlier offside.

The automated system in place flashed up an image on the stadium's big screen that showed Croatia's Kramaric had perhaps strayed the width of a shirt sleeve beyond the last man.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez rolled the dice at halftime, summoning Lukaku off the bench and the striker probably should have scored within minutes of coming on but his header at the far post was directed straight at goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

Croatia were then foiled at the other end when Mateo Kovacic was played through following a powerful burst from centre back Josko Gvardiol but his shot was palmed over one-handed by Thibaut Courtois.

Marcelo Brozovic and Modric then stung the palms of Courtois, who got down low to his right to parry away both efforts.

It was then Belgium's turn to pile on the pressure. First Yannick Carrasco stormed through on goal before his path was blocked and the ball found its way to Lukaku who somehow hit the post with the goal gaping.

He then inexplicably headed over from close range, although replays showed Kevin De Bruyne had probably taken the ball out of play before crossing.

Lukaku then missed two more chances from point-blank range in the dying minutes, diverting Thomas Meunier's crisply-hit shot wide and then looking on bemused as the ball bounced up into his midriff with the goal at his mercy before it was somehow smuggled to safety.

The Bangladesh Football Federation has said it expects a positive response from football's world governing body, FIFA, over its proposed Centre of Excellence in Cox's Bazar following completion of assessment over the project's environmental impact.

According to the federation's general secretary, Emran Hossain Tushar, the BFF received positive recommendations on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) from the Department of Disaster Science and Climate Resilience of Dhaka University and send the same to FIFA earlier this month.

The BFF spokesperson said they would start construction work on the 20-acre land project in Ramu upazila of the coastal district once given the go-ahead by FIFA, expected by the end of next month.

The government had allocated the land in Khuniya Palong reserved forest to BFF in July 2022, much to the frustration and anger for environmentalists and wild life enthusiasts.

FIFA, after scrutinising media reports and through own assessment, asked the BFF to conduct an independent environmental assessment in February this year.

"We have received a positive assessment report," Tushar told reporters on Monday.

"The salient recommendations of the report are: We cannot build any infrastructure outside the designated 20-acre land; we will have to plant more trees than those that will be cut; we will have to create some vegetation for the elephants and create a water body for reptiles. We will also have to integrate the local populace with the project, either through creating employment opportunities for the adults or through giving sporting opportunities for their children.

"We have already sent the recommendations to FIFA in the beginning of the month and we expect an instruction from FIFA by the end of August," Tushar added.

The Centre of Excellence is supposed to be a residential training facility, under a FIFA project worth 3.6 million dollars, featuring two standard-sized football pitches apart from a four-storey dormitory and medical facilities, among other things.

France captain Kylian Mbappe is a doubt for his team's Euro 2024 clash with the Netherlands after breaking his nose in the 1-0 win over Austria on Monday, the French Football Federation said.

Mbappe's presence in the Group D game against the Dutch in Leipzig on Friday "remains uncertain", the FFF said on Tuesday, adding that "a new update will be provided tomorrow".

The 25-year-old suffered the injury when he collided with Kevin Danso towards the end of the match in Duesseldorf, his nose connecting violently with the Austrian defender's shoulder.

Mbappe, who provoked the own goal scored by Maximilian Woeber which decided the game in France's favour, came off with his shirt covered in blood.

The French federation later said Mbappe had undergone tests at a hospital in Duesseldorf before rejoining the France squad at their base in Paderborn, a two-hour drive to the east.

They said he would not require surgery and added that the new Real Madrid signing would have a mask fitted to enable him to return to action "after a period of treatment".

"He is in a bad way. He is not well. His nose is a mess, that's for sure. That is the black mark of the evening for us," France coach Didier Deschamps said of Mbappe after the Austria match.

Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski both scored second-half penalties as France and Poland played out a 1-1 draw on Tuesday, condemning France to a second-place finish in Group D with Austria shocking Netherlands to top the pool.

Mbappe, returning to action and wearing a mask to protect his broken nose, opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Lewandowski levelled with 11 minutes remaining.

France finished second in the group and will face a tougher last-16 tie after Austria turned the section on its head with a 3-2 win against the Dutch.